Communing with the Muse, Letting History be its Sexy Self and Coping with Tragedy. With Philosopher, Author and Top-Notch Human, Daniele Bolelli

“Once you lose attachment to how you want things to be because you realize you don’t control anything, there’s a curiously liberating aspect of that. I’ve always been a control freak, I’ve always felt that if I try hard enough, everyone I love will be kept safe and everything will be okay. Being shown, in such brutal terms, that that’s simply not the way it works, in someways, it messed me up. I’ve been through hell, but on another level, if you pile up so much tragedy, it either destroys you, or you just start laughing about it. Because at the end of the day, no one gets out alive.” Daniele Bolelli

When a certain type of person achieves monetary success and notoriety, one of their first moves is to cultivate some sort of bullshit persona. I’m talking a VIP, tinted window, sunglasses on indoors set of behaviors. What exactly is that? I’ll tell you, it’s fear. A fear of being seen for the sham they truly believe they are beneath the ever-fleeting glitz and “success” they’ve managed to brush up against.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for success and enjoying the fruits of your labor, but there seems to be an undeniable correlation between severe douchebaggery, fame and money. But, can we really blame people for being so eager to engage in ego masturbation? We live in a society that reinforces the importance of money, beauty, fame and status constantly. It’s drilled into our psyche with practically every image we view in the media from before we can even speak.

Despite humanity’s seemingly insatiable appetite for anything with the word “Kardashian” in it, I think we’re actually living in a time that’s far less conducive to mindless ego worship. Our increasingly interconnected web of digital consciousness has demystified celebrities to the point where any moderately intelligent person can see that the famous are really no different than anyone else. Furthermore, it’s become simple to actually shun the shit, and tailor our incoming information. You can actually bring attention to the content you like AND stop looking at what you don’t. It’s a powerful thing.

That’s where our guest, Daniele Bolelli comes in.

If you didn’t catch our first, or second conversation with him, and you’re not familiar with his work, you should be. Not (just) because he’s the kick ass author of books like Create Your Own Religion and On the Warrior’s Path, or because he’s a professor of History and Philosophy, but because he’s a humble, decent, kind and really goddamn interesting human being. Exactly the type of person I feel great about supporting and paying attention to.

I vigorously encourage you to do the same by keeping up with Dan on Twitter and to checking out his website!

3 Commentson "Communing with the Muse, Letting History be its Sexy Self and Coping with Tragedy. With Philosopher, Author and Top-Notch Human, Daniele Bolelli"

‘Furthermore, it’s become simple to actually shun the shit, and tailor our incoming information. You can actually bring attention to the content you like AND stop looking at what you don’t.’

Yes, that worked wonders during the 2012 Diamond Jubilee.
When there were street parties all around my house, bunting in the windows of every newsagent and my bedroom walls throbbing from patriotic music.